The Tomato-coloured Couch 9:22am
I Bring Black Into White Light
I Look Deep Into Black
to See The Night Sky
To See The Light of The Stars
Against Black
I Am Pro Black
I Am Pro Life
I Dress In Black
with Red Underwear
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:15am
I Am A Bird In A Cage
not the green & red Sam
when I was a Child
I Am A Single Green & Red Love Bird
unnamed
Whose Mate Has Died
as My Mother was afraid He would
The Hawk Kitchen 5:30
He can’t get Me
if I’m wearing Black
He made Me lie on The Tomato-coloured Couch
in My Grey Bathrobe
all afternoon on one Ativan & one Wellbutrin
— Hunter’s recommendation —
He can’t get Me
now that I’ve changed
though I still see Him
behind My Eyes
I count The Years, The Double Decades
He has infiltrated My Life
I cannot allow My Self
to fall
to fail
I Will Keep Wearing Black
The Hawk Kitchen 11:15pm
I just saw that Buzzard Bird again
surveying My back yard
just as I was thinking I will never
go out to the island again
wondering why I have lost My appetite
sitting by the radio
in My grey bathrobe
I am indispensable
I need care
The Hawk Queen Bed 11:22pm
That was My Mother
Who made Me get out
from under the pink hospital sheet
all 111 pounds of Me
to ask The Nurse On Night Shift
to get Me something to eat
“We don’t normally do this,” She said
as I toasted, buttered and ate
six pieces of bread
The Hawk Kitchen 6:35pm
Mother, It’s You
My Kitchen Witch
hanging above The Kitchen Phone
for the first time
since moving to The Hawk
It’s Your Caricature
drawn by Hardy Bulbs ’66
“The Perennial Phlox At Home”
I would have been Five
when Your Surrounding Book Titles
were dreamt up:
Flames of Passion
My Life & Loves — Frank Harris
Forever Amber
Passion & Greed (A Cookbook) Farmer
Lady Loverly’s Chatter
Slang Dictionary
The Passionate Lips
Hungry Hill
Fanny Hill
Candy (& How To Make It)
Naked Lunch (Cookbook)
The Lustful Heart
Passion’s Slave
Lustful Lips
The floral stockings You were wearing
I remember
You were My Great Mother
& I Am Proud
To Be Your Daughter
The Hawk Kitchen 2:22pm
Daughter, It’s Time
to hang Your Red Roses
upside down to dry
It’s Time to Preserve
Their Message
of Love & Devotion & Faith
from The Young Man
Who has You
for Now
The Hawk Queen Bed 9:45am
I have bled A Perfect Heart
on My Side of The Bed
It sits here while We drink
Our Coffee
& contemplate the day
ahead
I go with My Vision
of sorts: Brand New Head
for Hunter has told Me
I don’t need a partner
A Relationship instead
Rudder’s Yarmouth February 16th 6:00pm
I feel like a Little Girl
at a Valentine’s Birthday Party
with My Fake Margarita
sitting at My Table for One
I’m ready for Anything
The Musician has already been
acquainted:
“My Brother was a Musician
He played The Clarinet & Saxophone
— He’s dead now —
He lived in Yarmouth for quite a while”
“The Name Is Familiar “
I turned to My Club and Fries
and left early
for The Vagina Monologues
Joanna Gilman Hyde 